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The Oracle (The Matrix)
The Oracle is a major supporting character in ''The Matrix'' franchise. She is a program with such insight into human psychology that she has clairvoyant abilities. She was initially created to interpret aspects the human psyche and was responsible for the key principles behind the third "current" version of the Matrix. After having served her purpose, she went into Exile and aided the Resistance in the Machine War; she ultimately is responsible for ending the war through her manipulation of key members within the Resistance, including Neo. In the theatrical releases, she is portrayed by actresses Gloria Foster and Mary Alice. Background Personality Physical Appearance Appearances ''The Matrix'' trilogy The Oracle appears as a black woman in her late 60s. She frequently enjoys making cookies and likes the smell they make while they are cooking; she also has a penchant for candy. The Oracle aids the human resistance in freeing humanity from the oppression of the Machines. According to Morpheus, the Oracle has been in the service of the resistance "since the beginning." The Oracle gives predictions and insight to Zion operatives who choose to hear her. The one prediction she relays to the resistance of Zion is that of the Prophecy, where the war will end when The One returns to end the hold of the Matrix. For Morpheus, the Oracle tells him that he would find The One, a man with incredible powers within the Matrix who could end the Machine War. The Oracle's powers of precognition appear amazingly accurate, even knowing that Neo was about to knock over a vase in her kitchen. She refers to a Latin saying on her wall "know thyself" - a popular tenet of Greek life. She leaves Neo in doubt as to his true path, noting that he has the "gift," but appears to be waiting for something: "Your next life, maybe." This presumably meant the moment where Neo dies and comes back to life at the end of The Matrix, aware of his powers as The One. She also predicts a time when Neo will have to choose between his life and that of his leader, Morpheus. One of them will be saved, but the other will die. The Oracle's prediction leads Neo to rescue Morpheus, but lose his own life at the hands of Agent Smith in the process. But Trinity intervenes. She confesses to Neo's lifeless body in the real world that the Oracle had said she would fall in love with The One, which meant that Neo could not actually be dead. With a kiss from Trinity, Neo's consciousness rejects the idea that he has actually died, and he re-awakens within the Matrix, enlightened, and empowered as The One. In a later meeting, Neo can now see that the Oracle is not a human at all, but yet another program within the Matrix, perhaps yet another form of control over humanity. But the Oracle warns Neo to make up his own mind as to whether she was a friend or enemy. She directs Neo to find the entryway to the Source by finding the Keymaker, a program that can open hidden and locked backdoors within the Matrix. Unfortunately, the Keymaker is being held by what the Oracle describes as "a very dangerous program, one of the oldest of us. He is called the Merovingian." While Neo is successful in reaching the Source, he meets with the Architect, who tells him that the Oracle, a sentient program designed to understand human psychology, is the Matrix's "mother," for lack of a better term. Neo also learns that the Prophecy is just another form of control to use him to reload the Matrix. Unlike his predecessors, Neo defies the Architect's blackmail of the extinction of man should Neo not comply. The Oracle apparently has changed the rules in making The One fall in love—not just with humanity, but with one specific person. Neo breaks the death/life cycle of Zion but leaves a new path to be forged if humanity — and the Matrix — is to be saved. The Oracle has problems of her own. Her bodyguard, Seraph, protects her from her enemies by never letting her stay at any one place for too long. However, an event occurs where the Oracle's original appearance (or the Oracle herself) is destroyed, forcing her to return in a new appearance.Cinematically, the change in appearance is due to the death of actress Gloria Foster before shooting of her scenes for the two Matrix sequels was completed. The Oracle is portrayed by Mary Alice in The Matrix Revolutions In a conversation with Ghost, she explains that this occurred when two programs made a deal with the Merovingian to smuggle their child into the Matrix by offering him the termination code for the Oracle's outer shell. The Oracle promised to watch over the child after Rama-Kandra and Kamala left the Matrix, allowing the deal to go ahead as she believed that Sati was important, and able to restore herself in a new physical appearance. When Neo finds himself imprisoned in Mobil Avenue, Trinity and Morpheus, with help of Seraph who is given to them by Oracle to guide them and protect them from Agents if the need arises, takes the initiative to find Neo and rescue him from the clutches of the Merovingian, whose henchman, the Trainman, runs the construct imprisoning Neo. The Merovingian proposes that Neo can be freed if Trinity brings him the eyes of the OracleBased on Neo's conversation with the Oracle in the quest for the Keymaker, as well as the Merovingian's probable role in the creation of the second failed Matrix, the Merovingian's hatred of the Oracle's power can be reasoned out to jealousy for her success in stabilizing the final Matrix design. but is forced to release Neo by Trinity, who holds him at gunpoint. In their last conversation, the Oracle tells Neo that he must still reach the Source, but now she states that the Source resides in the Machine City, a vision he experienced while in Mobil Avenue. She warns that Smith, whose clones are assimilating everyone in the Matrix and causing it to fail faster than normal, is Neo's opposite. The Oracle gives a final comment: "Everything that has a beginning has an end, Neo." After Neo's departure, Smith appears to confront the Oracle, mocking her with her inability to act against him, but the Oracle simply coolly tells him to do what he came here to do. He then copies over her, creating a new Smith who laughs as he receives her power. Neo succeeds in reaching the Machine City, at a price: Trinity is killed in the crash of their hovercraft, the Logos, and Neo was blinded by Bane some time earlier. He makes a proposal to the Deus Ex Machina in exchange for ridding the virulent Smith from the Matrix. Neo is initially unsuccessful; a copy of Smith, earlier, had surrounded and assimilated the Oracle herself, and in doing so has her powers, which are remarkably similar to but more powerful than Neo's own. The two have an epic fight on and above the streets of the damaged Mega City, but Smith's powers from the assimilated Oracle prove too strong for Neo to counter fully. An exhausted Neo listens to Smith proclaiming victory, telling that, with the Oracle's powers, he can already see his victory. Neo may have remembered the Oracle's conversation about choice on the apartment playground days before: Smith also finds himself repeating words said to Neo by the Oracle hours before: "Everything that has a beginning has an end, Neo."The fact that Smith, who has always called Neo in person by his bluepill name, "Mr. Anderson," refers to him as "Neo" enables Neo to realize the choices (Smith's victory) have already been made as it relates to his next course of action. In his final act of enlightenment, Neo finally understands the why of his choice before he commits to it. Neo gives in and lets Smith copy over him, killing Neo. When the machines realize he's dead they retrieve the prime program within Neo, resetting the matrix and destroying Smith. The Deus Ex Machina quotes, "It is done". The Oracle is seen lying on the ground next to the hole where Smith crushed Neo, soaked with the rainfall. After the Matrix is reloaded, all of the programs possessed by Smith are free. The Oracle reappears sitting on a park bench, looking at a sunrise created by Sati. The Architect appears and The Oracle asks if he will keep his promise and give peace to the humans. The Architect agrees to do so and walks away saying that this peace may last. Then Sati and Seraph appear to the Oracle saying that Neo saved everyone. When Sati asks if Neo will come back, the Oracle is hopeful that he will return. Seraph also asks the Oracle if she knew this new day of peace would come. The Oracle simply replied, "No. But I believed." 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